A Death in the Family
by telmeastory
Summary: Ash achieved his dream. He had it all. But life isn't always fair. Sometimes, you have to pick up the pieces. That only takes Ash 8 years... Warning, Character Death
1. Chapter 1: The Day

The red-head shook water from her hair as she pulled herself from the pool. There was a look fo frustration on her face. Her training today had gone well. She had even managed to squeeze in two gym battles which she had handily won. It was becoming more and more rare these days for a trainer to be able to challenge her. But that was the life of gyms in the Pokemon League. As the gym leader got older, the gym often became more and more respected, coming later and later in most trainer's attempts to gather all 8 badges. Then the gym would be passed on and suddenly it was once again more often challenged.

Misty Waterflower, the water pokemon master, had been a gym leader now for 12 years. At 24, she was still one of the younger gym leaders. Most trainers did not settle down, let alone get the chance to become a gym leader before they turned 20. Most weren't good enough. But Misty had been. So not only was she younger, but with over a decade as a gym leader, she was considered the most experienced gym leader.

Well, except for Viridian.

Gary was still leading the gym there. Sure, complications arose when his grandfather had wanted to retire, but the two had worked things out. Gary Oak was becoming quite the celebrity as the strongest trainer in Kanto as well as a highly respected pokemon researcher. The two had actually become close recently, with most other gym leaders now being far less experienced than the two of them.

Misty climbed up to her apartment at the back of the gym, slipping quietly through the door and stealing into the shower. Her head was hurting. She wasn't really sure why she was feeling so frustrated.

That wasn't true, the red-head knew exactly why. It was all related to one raven-haired trainer on this exact day nearly 8 years ago. Her eyes watered a tad as she thought back to the last time she had seen the trainer.

 **FLASHBACK**

Misty was on her feet cheering! Brock and Deliah were beside her. They were all cheering on the one trainer they all knew and loved: Ash Ketchum. The rest of Ash's friends from previous journeys were there as well – May, Dawn, Cilian, Iris, Max, Bonnie, Clemont, Serena. At 13, on his second trip through the Sinnoh League, Ash had won his second pokemon championship. This had officially made him a Pokemon Master.

Being a pokemon Master required, once upon a time, a trainer to win every single championship. Of course as things changed, the league realized that with a growing number of leagues, this was too high a task. After 23 years without a master had led Charles Goodshow to adjust the rules a bit and sure enough, the next week Ash would go on to win the Sinnoh league.

Now they were in the tournament of champions. It was really a fundraiser event where each league's champion and elite four members came together every 4 years and the funds raised from ticket sales were donated to various charities. Not that any of that made it less competitive. The winner often won the right to be called the strongest trainer in the world for the next four years.

Ash had just won his semi-final match over Lance, the winner of the last two tournaments. The crowd had gone wild. It had been close, but Ash had ultimately taken out Lance's Dragonite with Pickachu. Now for a short break to heal before Ash would be facing down Jason in the final.

Jason was the champion of Johoto. In recent years, Johoto had separated from the Indigo league championship and formed its own. Jason had become the first champion. He and Ash did not get along. Jason was 18 and had hoped to be the youngest until Ash crashed that dream. Jason also had to win at all costs, something Ash abhorred.

So the finals began. It had been a long and intense battle and things were coming to an end. Ash was down to Greninja and had just knocked out Jason's Rapidash. Technically, Ash had two pokemon left. One of those, however, was Pikachu, still far too hurt and exhausted from the last battel to fight. And Ash cared too much. As such, he had decided that if it came down to Pikachu, he would forfeit. The electric mouse probably would not be too happy about that, but Ash loved the tiny yellow fur ball too much not to.

So Imagine Ash's shock when the next pokemon who Jason sent out was Raikou. The electric legendary was terrifying and Greninja, for all of his fight, quickly went down.

Then the unthinkable happened. Before Ash could do anything, Pikachu took off into the arena. As Ash began to shout for the ref to surrender, Pikachu's Thunder and Raiku's electric charge met. The stadium was coated in smoke at the explosion.

And Ash sprinted into the smoke.

No one heard the red-head whisper. "No Ash. Pikachu…"

Everyone else was too caught up.

"I told him to trade out Pikachu."

"That looked bad."

"Why would he let Pikachu run out there?"

"He should have just stopped the fight."

No one caught the recorder and cameras in the back of the room. Everyone did, however, fall silent as the smoke cleared.

There in the center, on his knees, was Ash. In his arms, they could see yellow fur.

And when Ash let out a heart-wrenching scream, everyone knew what had happened.

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It had been a painful trip home. It was only with Misty and his mom forcing him forward that Ash managed to make it home. His friends were gathered in his living room. Ash had needed to get away. He had spent the past few hours locked away in his room. It was late when there was a knock at the door.

"Ash?"

Misty had been at the door, worried about her friend. She heard the door unlock, but not open. She took it as a sign and carefully opened the door. Sitting on the bed, not even wearing his hat, was Ash. Misty could hear the sniffles. She slipped over and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

And Ash had given in. He turned and broke down, crying onto Misty's shoulder. Misty couldn't take it. It broke her heart to see him like this. She had seen Ash overcome just about anything and everything. He had even managed to become a pokemon master.

But this was different.

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It had been the next morning. No one had left and were gathered n the living room as Ash came down. His face showed how little sleep he'd had during the night, but to his credit, the young man had a smile on his face.

Of course it didn't really reach his eyes.

"Morning everyone!"

The room took him in carefully. As the silence became painful, Misty decided to jump in.

"Morning Ash! Food?"

She offered him a tray which he gladly took. She slid over and let him settle down on the couch beside him. Suddenly they hear on the TV.

"I told him to trade Pikachu out."

"That was just one of the comments made by the Pokemon Master's friends following the scene in which Pikachu was killed. We'll be back with this story as more develops."

The room became even more silent than before.

Ash just looked around the room. The smile was gone and the tears were back. No one moved as he rose to his feet. He moved toward the door of the house and no one moved. No one had noticed he was already fully dressed, still bearing his pokeballs. Ash let out a sigh as he reached for the door.

"The sad thing is, you are all right."

With that, he had run out the door.

It was the last time she had seen him, 8 years ago.

 **End of Flashback**

Misty had run after him, trying to catch him, but by the time she got out the door, all she saw was Ash's form disappearing on Charizard. She had fallen to her knees and cried. Misty had never admitted it out loud. Heck, until that moment, she had not even admitted it to herself. But she was head over heels in love with that trainer. Her raven-haired best friend.

Her tears that day had been interrupted, but not by whom she had expected. Standing there was Gary, Ash's first rival. He had stood there until Misty had started crying again. The old rival had pulled Misty up and let her cry. He did not say anything, but as she began to cry herself out, he sent her home.

Based on what Misty heard later, Gary had gone back. The room had been quiet and no one made a comment. While there was a hope to have Ash back, no one seemed to disagree with anything that had been said.

In the years since, Misty learned that the only thing that had really kept their small group together had been Ash. Everyone had returned to their home regions. What was worse, however, was no one seemed to understand how much the raven-haired trainer had encouraged them.

Gary seemed to be the only one who really became better. Even Misty felt like she had not lived up to her own standards. Sure, she was a powerful gym leader, but she had given up on a lot of other things. On top of that, she had not hear from the rest of the friends in the last few years.

And they had watched Jason win yet again at the last tournament. Apparently he was a bit of a tyrant, according to the Indigo elite four. But no one was really able to say anything.

Charles Goodshow had reverted to stating a trainer had to win all the leagues in order to become a master, just because of Jason. After Ash had left, Jason had easily claimed the Sinnoh and Kalos titles.

But here was coming another tournament. Misty and Gary still attended, since the money raised went to such good causes. This year, they had even managed to convince Deliah and Samuel Oak to attend. Misty tried to smile at that. These were the only two people, besides Gary, who did not accuse Ash of anything. In the aftermath and based on the comments, the media had turned on the golden child of the pokemon league. They called into question his ability as a trainer if he allowed Pikachu in and to get killed.

The saddest part had been that Ash's friends, rather than supporting Ash, had doubled down on their statements. Over the last 8 years, it had caused arguments and rifts as the group had gone their own directions.

Misty finally pulled herself from the shower Gary was driving up with Deliah and Samuel anytime and then the four would be off to the tournament.

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"Misty?"

Misty's eyes jumped up. She was sitting in the passenger seat beside Gary. He, oddly enough, had been one of the few to never blame Ash. He had also supported her over the past 8 years. Deliah and Samuel were in the back, relaxing. Samuel was reading something that looked like a science journal while Deliah was reading on her tablet. Misty turned her attention back to Gary.

"What's up Gary?"

"You've been staring off at Mt. Silver for the past hour. What are you thinking about?"

Misty just gave him the 'do you even need to ask?' look.

"Ok, ok. Sorry."

Silence reigned for a minute. Then Gary smiled.

"Have you heard about the mysterious recluse?"

This seemed to catch the ear of everyone.

"No?"

"Oh yeah, I believe I have heard mention of him." Samuel spoke up from the back seat.

"What about him?" Deliah asked from her seat.

"Well apparently he is said to avoid all people. He hides at the top of Mt. Silver. But the saying goes that he is the ultimate challenge."

"Hmmm?" Samuel and Deliah were really getting into the conversation

"Ok, I'll bite, why is he the ultimate challenge?" Misty decided she might as well jump into this conversation rather than going kicking and screaming.

"Well," Samuel continued, "they say that after overcoming a league champion, people can try to find him. See, only gym leaders or higher are even allowed access to Mt. Silver. The pokemon up there are just too strong."

"Wow." Deliah seemed surprised that there was any place considered that dangerous. "And they let someone live up there?"

"They aren't really sure anyone lives up there. Supposedly, as the story goes, trainers go up there looking for him. They say they find him, a stoic man. He never even turns to look at them. He just throws out his pokemon and they are all absurdly strong. No one has ever even been able to beat one of them. But no one knows what happens once they lose. They pass out and wake up safe and sound in the pokemon center of their hometown."

This drew a long pause from the rest of the car.

"And do you think he exists?" Misty could barely register it was her voice which said it. She hated to admit the story intrigued her.

"Haha, no idea, I've only been to Mt. Silver a time or two and the pokemon are absurdly strong. I know some of the trainers who have been up there and they are not the ones to make things up, but someone living among those pokemon…well, it seems farfetch'd to me." Gary snickered at his own humor, leading Misty to smirk.

Had she still been watching Mt. Silver, Misty would have caught the large pokemon taking off from the top.

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It was later than they had hoped when the car arrived at the Plateau. Misty carefully exited the vehicle and stretched. She shook out her red hair and waited while everyone else got out. Then, taking all of their supplies, they made their way inside to get a few rooms.

Checking in at the desk was almost a sport. There were so many people involved and getting to the counter was nearly impossible. After a good struggle, they made it to the counter with Nurse Joy.

"Excuse me Nurse Joy, can we get three rooms please?" Gary called out as he approached the counter. He offered a gentle smile which caused Nurse Joy to giggle.

Giggle? What? Misty had never heard a Nurse Joy giggle before.

But sure enough, a few minutes later they had keys for three rooms. They made their way over to the elevator. They were standing there, still debating the mystery trainer from Mt. Silver when the door opened.

There stood Jason. He had become a true pain in everyone's butt since the last tournament, but he was the heavy favorite for this year's tournament. He had a cocky grin on his face which only got larger as he saw who was in front of him. The only league he had not won at this point was the indigo league. He, oddly enough, had two badges he still had to win to do so. The Earth and Cascade badges.

"Glad to see you both here! Should be one heck of a tournament this year." Misty ground her teeth at his cocky statement. She really wished someone were strong enough to knock this cocky bastard off his pedestal.

"Indeed it should be." Everyone snapped up to see the trainer who had joined them. He was around 6', wearing a tight black t-shirt and jeans. He had 6 pokeballs wrapped around his belt and a jacket thrown over his arm. His dark hair seemed to glisten in the light, not quite giving away its color, and his eyes were hidden behind some glasses. He had a big grin on his face which, for some reason, Misty found infectious.

"Private conversation dude." Jason's grin suddenly seemed strained. That made Misty feel really good.

"Sorry, didn't you hear?"

"Hear What?" Now Gary was interested in what this new guy had to say.

"Apparently, word on the street is that a pokemon Master is in this year's tournament."

Misty froze at that. So did the rest of their party. To their knowledge there was one pokemon master in the last 31 years. This new information was so much. Too much. Misty felt herself starting to sniffle. Gary heard this and turned to his grandfather. Samuel and Deliah immediately moved beside the red-headed gym leader and steered her toward the elevator.

As the doors shut, Gary turned back to the others.

"It's not nice to raise rumors like that. In fact, depending on who is around, it can be downright cruel."

This seemed to snap Jason into action.

"Who are you?"

The new guy just smiled at both of them before turning and walking away. In that moment, Gary and Jason turned back to glare at one another. It took a few minutes before they broke their eye contact. Jason stormed off to the lobby while Gary turned to the elevator. He was still steaming that this new guy would work Misty up like that.

Then he noticed the envelope. On the ground, just beside the elevator was an envelope and the name on it caught his eye: Misty Waterflower.

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Jason stormed off. He was pissed. He had been trying to win the Indigo league for nearly 2 years now. He knew he could take everyone, but for some reason every time he arrived in Cerulean or Viridian, those two pesky gym leaders weren't there. There was always some excuse.

But he was the champion. He had won every other league. He had managed to destroy Iris in Unova. He was awesome.

Of course there would always be that thorn in his side. He was not considered undisputed in Sinnoh or Kalos, since he did not win those from Ash.

As he was mumbling to himself, he wandered down a hallway when something caught his eye.

There, at a door with Nurse Joy was the guy from earlier.

"Please Nurse Joy, no one can know. I need to reveal all of this in my own time."

"Ok Red, you got it. Please just be careful."

And with that, Jason saw the man give Nurse Joy a quick hug before dashing off. It made Jason twitch. He wouldn't admit it, but he really liked Nurse Joy. To be fair, he really liked any of them, but seeing as this was the place he stayed most often, he liked this Nurse Joy the most. It made him angry to see this.

Then he paused. She had called him Red.

Red was the name of the guy from Mt. Silver.


	2. Chapter 2: Red

Misty let out a long sigh. She had collapsed on her bed. Her room was between Delia's and the Oak's. Her room was connected with Delia's and it was good to sit. She had been sitting all day in the car and yet, just a few minutes fighting into the center and then that news….

Misty had to fight the tears. It had been so long. She usually managed to put those things behind her, but right now, around the anniversary….ah well.

Misty jumped at a knock on the door.

"Misty?"

Misty sniffled and wiped her eyes as she rose to answer Gary. As she reached the door, she took a deep breath and opened it.

"What's up Gar-"

Misty froze. Standing there with him was the stranger from downstairs. She felt her face heat up. She really did not have the energy or time for people. She thought it was going to be enough of a strain right now to handle the Oaks and Mrs. Ketchum.

"Hi Ms. Waterflower, my name is Red Satoshi. I asked Mr. Oak if he would give me the chance to apologize to you for my inconsiderate words."

Misty was taken aback by the openness of the man. What was more, she could feel something in his stare. It was intense and it made Misty feel special.

She shook that thought from her head. She did not need that right now. She looked over to Gary who gave her a shrug.

"Sorry Misty. He seemed really upset that he…upset you." Misty offered her fellow gym leader a comforting glance.

"Well thank you Mr. Satoshi. It really is alright."

"Might I ask why my rumor was such an issue?"

Misty froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Then she looked up and caught both Gary and Red looking at her. Gary's face offered to remove the guy if she wanted, but it was Red's face that caught her eye. She couldn't see his eyes, but she felt like she could trust him. With a sigh, Misty opened the door and moved over to the bed.

Her actions shocked both Gary and Red. The two shared a glance, almost friendly like, before Gary remembered he was protecting Misty and put a glare back on his face, escorting Red inside. Red didn't seem to mind. The grin was back on his face. While Red and Gary were about the same height, something told Gary he really did not want to piss Red off. But again, he was here for Misty.

"So why is a Pokemon Master being here be an issue, Ms. Waterflower?" Red sat on a chair facing her, his legs carefully crossed as he watched her.

"Misty."

"sorry?"

"Call me Misty." This drew a soft laugh from Red.

"Very well, Misty. So please tell me why having a Pokemon Master here is an issue?"

Misty drew in a deep breath. "Well, it was eight years ago. We were at this very tournament, and one of our friends was competing."

Misty paused. She missed the flinch from Red at the term 'friends' but Gary didn't. He gave the man another look over. Misty went on.

"But then something bad happened. He made it to the finals, but it didn't end well." Misty paused. Tears were welling up in her eyes. Red sat, not sure of what to do. Gary reached out a hand, but a motion from Misty stayed him. "His…he…one of his pokemon got hurt really bad. It didn't make it."

At this, Red saw the tears dropping from her eyes. He reached out his own hand to touch her shoulder. This seemed to catch Misty off guard. She looked up and saw tears in Red's eyes as well. After a few minutes, the trainer dried his eyes and sat back. When he drew his hand back, Misty felt sad.

"So he was not very careful?" Misty shot up at Red's words. She smacked him. Hard.

"Don't you dare. No one had ever better dare. He was a good man. He tried to stop it. He…He…"

Here Misty broke down into tears. As he saw this, Gary stood.

"I think it is time…."

He was interrupted by the sound of laughter and tears. Both Misty and Gary looked at Red, collapsed on the floor. He was laughing and crying all at once. His glasses had been knocked off. But his laughter was getting under Misty's skin.

"Look Mr. Satoshi, I don't care what you think, but don't you dare insult Ash!"

This seemed to catch Red's attention. He stopped laughing, placing his glasses back on his face. He stood, now much more somber.

"I apologize Ms. Waterflower. This Ash was very lucky to have friends such as you all. I'm sure he would be glad to know you all do not blame him. The trick, my dear, will be convincing him not to blame himself."

With that single comment, Red took off out the door. Misty was too shocked by his words to respond, but Gary was already in motion. As he came out the door, he saw Red's jacket disappearing around a corner. He gave chase, calling after the man. The two finally stopped as they reached the arena behind the pokemon center, Gary calling one last time.

"Red!"

The man stopped and turned to face the pokemon researcher.

"What can I do for you, Professor Oak?"

"I…I know who you are!"

Red caught himself at this. Had he given too much away? Sure, he wanted to reveal himself, but still…

"I know you are the trainer from Mt. Silver!" Red grinned at this. Well this might be fun after all.

"I know you are and I have some questions!" Red grinned over and Gary suddenly felt the confidence he'd had chasing Red down leave. Red let out a small laugh.

"Alright, fine then. Tell you what, you beat even one of my pokemon in a 3 on 3 match and I will tell you everything you want to know."

Gary considered the offer for a minute. He was still one heck of a strong trainer. There was a reason he had been given the responsibilities of a gym leader. Then again, considering the stories about this guy…well, it didn't matter. This was for Misty. And for Ash.

"Fine, let's do it."

"Send out your first pokemon." Red stood there casually. He had a pokeball in his hand, waiting to see what Gary would do.

"Alright, Blastoise, let's go!" Gary shouted as he threw his pokeball. The large water turtle emerged. This was typically the last pokemon Gary called forth. It had not been seen in a gym battle since his first fight because he had become so dominant. The shouting had begun to draw a crowd. Among the crowd were a few familiar faces.

"Come on May, Brock! Let's go! Someone said it was Gary! It must be big if he has agreed to fight!" A teen boy jumped forward, not having lost any of his enthusiasm since his youth.

"Max Maple, slow down!" May shouted at her younger brother.

"Don't stress May, we'll catch up and see what's going on." Brock carefully wrapped up her hand and pulled the young trainer back to him. The two had become a couple about two years back. Brock had finally become a Pokemon Doctor and May had discovered she was a great coordinator…well, she had known that long before, but she became the coordinator for the Kanto Contests, meaning she and Brock could always stay close.

May let out a sigh.

"I know Brock. And he is more than old enough to take care of himself. I still just worry. But do you think he was right? Gary is battling?"

May and Brock had seen the young superstar a time or two. They had not seen him fight a battle in quite some time. For that matter, it had been years since they had even heard of a close fight at the Viridian Gym.

As they approached, the large crowd gathered around saw that sure enough, Gary was there. What seemed more insane was that his first pokemon out appeared to be Blastoise.

"So are you going to fight or what?"

Gary's shout drew attention to the man across from him. The man appeared to be around their age. He stood around 6' tall with a tight black shirt on. It showed off some incredible definition of his chest, something that did not go unnoticed by the audience. What caught their attention was the man's response.

He laughed.

"As you wish Gary Oak. This is a 3 on 3 battle. If you defeat even one of my pokemon, I will answer all of your questions. What's more, I will not change pokemon during this battle between Gary Oak and Red Satoshi.!"

His final words drew a hiss of shock from the crowd. Red Satoshi was supposed to be a legend. He was not supposed to exist. He was the thing trainers teased one another about to keep them from doing something stupid.

But here he was. And he threw his pokeball out.

Out popped a Metagross. It was a large Metagross, larger even than Steven's had been. As it came out, everyone expected the giant steel psychic pokemon to thud onto the ground. Instead, the pokemon settled down, almost seeming light on its feet. Gary made his decision.

"Let's go Blastoise! Mega Evolve!" A Swirling light surrounded Blastoise before suddenly there stood mega blastoise. This only drew a smirk from Red. Gary grinned back at him. "Don't worry Red, I know Metagross will appreciate a nice earthquake!"

As Gary shouted the final word, Mega Blastoise jumped into action. His attack took off, heading straight for Metagross.

The battle began in earnest then. As the battle went, Mega Blastoise couldn't keep up. Finally, Blastoise collapsed. As he did, Gary smiled. This did in fact catch Red off guard.

"I forfeit."

"Sorry?" Red was shocked by Gary's actions. He was even more shocked when, after recalling Blastoise, Gary marched over and held his hand out.

"Nice to meet you Red, my name is Gary Oak."

Red tentatively took the hand offered to him. This was not at all what he had expected. As his hand gripped Gary's, the shook. Then Gary pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear.

"I am so damn glad to have you back Ash. I remember once long ago you telling me your middle name was Satoshi." The look on Red's face said it all. But Gary did not stop there. "I gave in becase you were holding back and you still could have torn us limb from limb. You had better tell a certain Red Head soon. The poor woman has suffered a long time because of you."

With that, Gary simply turned and walked away. He strolled straight past the crowds. He marched straight back up to his room. He stopped only for a moment, to slip the letter under Misty's door.  
He knockced and walked away. He stopped at his door and looked back at misty's, but that was just to smile as he caught sight of a black shirt coming around the corner.

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Misty had managed to cry herself into an awkward nap when Gary left. She awoke later when she heard a soft knock at her door. She didn't answer, but got up when she saw a letter slip under the door. It had her name on it, so she grabbed it. Something about the letter made her nervous to actually open and read the letter. Finally giving in, she carefully peeled the letter open. Out fell a letter carefully folded. She opened it and began to read:

 _Misty,_

 _This is not at all how I wanted to do this. You deserve so much more, so much better. You deserve more than I could ever offer you._

 _I have written this letter at least a hundred times. I wrote it the day I left. I wrote it the next day and the next. I will probably keep writing it until I am blue in the face, and I hope you never get it._

 _Misty, the fact is that I adore you. I have nearly forever. From the day I met you, I have been crazy about spending time with you. You pushed me, supported me, you helped me grow into the man I was. I wanted nothing more than the chance to hold you, even once, and tell you how you affected me and that I love you._

 _I love you._

 _Misty Waterflower, I love you._

 _I wanted to tell you that on that day. I wanted to end that battle and take you and love you. I wanted to tell you when you helped me through Pikachu's death. I wanted to come back and tell you how incredibly important you were to me when you caught me._

 _But I couldn't.  
I did not deserve your love._

 _And I realize now that I never will._

 _I'm sorry Misty._

 _I love you._

 _Ash Ketchum._

Misty felt herself cry. It hurt to read. It hurt to feel. She had loved him. He had loved her. And it hadn't worked.

Misty shot up as she heard a knock at the door. It made her wonder who on earth was knocking at the door. Taking a deep breath, she shoved the letter under her pillow, wiping her eyes, and stood up. With yet another deep sigh, Misty drew herself up and went to the door. Composing herself, she threw the door open. She had expected to see Gary. Maybe Deliah or Samuel.

What she had not expected was Red.

And she was still mad at him.

"Can I help you Mr. Satoshi?" Red flinched at the name.

"Please, call me Ash."

"I will not call you Red, Mr. Satoshi, especially not aft-" Misty froze mid-sentence. She had turned away from him in her rant, not willing to look at the man who had made her hurt so much. But as his words registered with her, she stopped. Her next sentence was not much more than a whisper.

"What did you say?"

"I said…" Red drew the red-head into his arms. He carefully pulled her around to face him. He had pulled off the glasses so she could see into his chocolate eyes. "…all me Ash, please?" He offered a sad grin in her direction at this.

Misty felt her tears falling again, but this time they felt far happier. Shock was setting in and she didn't know what was going on. She suddenly broke down and buried herself into his chest. Standing in his arms, she realized he had a good 8 or 9 inches on her. She clung tighter, unsure of whether letting go would make this dream disappear.

Then she realized something. She pulled back and slapped Ash. Hard across the face.

"How dare you Ash Ketchum!"

Ash looked at her in shock. What came next shocked him even more.

"I Love you too."

And then, she pulled him into the most passionate desperate kiss either had ever shared. It was powerful and they both needed it. They wanted more.

But for tonight, the shock, the kiss, it was enough.

Still holding hands, Ash carefully led Misty to lie down on bed. She'd had a day beyond stressful and a lot of crying. Even holding her, Ash could feel the exhaustion in her form. He settled her down into the bed, carefully stroking her head.

"I missed that red hair."

"Ash?"

"Yes Misty?"

"I hate you."

"Yes Misty."

"But I love you."

I love you too Misty."

"Don't leave?"

"Never again Misty, Never again."

Misty faded into unconsciousness as she heard this. Her world had been flipped upside down. Her world, which was already standing on its head, had just been flipped upside down.

But it was ok. She had Ash back.


	3. Chapter 3: Can it be?

Misty carefully stretched as she woke. Her hair had been loosed and was running wild in her face. She began fighting with it momentarily as she wondered why on earth she would ever let it down before something struck her.

She remembered last night. She jumped to her feet and glanced around the room. But there was nothing there. There was no one.

Nothing except the letter. As Misty strode over to it, tears once more forming in her eyes, she found something strange. On top of the letter was a note:

 _Misty,_

 _Please forgive me. I would have stayed with you forever, but there is something I must take care of first. I am still fighting with myself and with others over Pikachu's death. I have come to this tournament to handle this and move forward._

 _I still believe what this letter says. I never have deserved your love. But the fact is I would move mountains for you. And I do love you._

 _So I want to finish this. During this tournament, I will be Red Satoshi. When we are seen outdoors, I will have to act as if we have not met and as painful as it wounds, please do the same. No one can know I am here._

 _But I promise you this. I want nothing more than to spend time and be with you. If you want the same, simply leave your door unlocked tonight and once the Pokemon Center settles down, I will come and I will answer any questions you want._

 _If you don't want that, lock your door and I will understand._

 _I'm ready to be Ash again._

 _And I want to love you, Misty Waterflower._

 _Ash Satoshi Ketchum_

Misty's hands shook as she read the letter. He had left, but it had been to give her space. There were tears threatening to spill again. Misty shook her head. Ash, the dense fool, he had admitted that he loved her. He was offering her so much. But did she dare take it?

It was a lot to think over. Misty grinned as she set the letter down and took off to jump in the shower.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Red was strolling through the lobby. He was a Pokemon Master. He had lived for 8 years on his own on what was considered the most dangerous place in the known world. The pokemon who inhabited his home were not just tough, they were dangerous. And it had made Red as deadly as his Pokemon.

As Red walked through, he came across Jason leaning on the counter, talking to Nurse Joy.

"So tell me Nurse Joy, is it true there is a Pokemon Master in the tournament?" The older man offered the Nurse a grin which seemed almost dangerous. Red shuddered momentarily as he walked up. His own feud was with not only himself but with Jason. After years of thinking and reliving Pikachu's death, Red had found something which desperately made him want to once again become Ash. That was why he was here. That was why he was in this tournament.

"You will have to wait and see Jason, just like everyone else." Red stepped in. His comment drew a look of ire from Jason, but Nurse Joy gave him a grateful look. She was the youngest of her sisters, having only taken on this role a few years back. She was the same age as Ash and Gary in fact. The pink haired beauty was becoming flustered, and not in a good way, by the ever pushy, self-proclaimed Pokemon Master.

Of course she was one of the few who knew the truth about Red since he'd had to register with his trainer card. The league had been rather free, letting Ash be known in tournaments as Red, but the fact was that his trainer card still read him in as Ash Ketchum.

Jason turned and glared at the trainer who had interrupted him. He'd been planning on putting the moves on Nurse Joy. He had a special interest and this one seemed one of the easier ones to fluster. So Jason was hoping he could get her into going out with him and hopefully also giving up the information about this mysterious trainer, seeing as the last Pokemon Master anyone was aware of had left training 8 years ago. Jason stood, trying to intimidate the trainer.

Jason stood at around 6'3" and was a well-built young man. At 26, he was still young in the game. He was also a strong trainer. Maybe not a good trainer, but he was strong. He had not lost a match to anyone in 5 years. It was a statement everyone was proud of.

Of course as he tried to intimidate Red, Jason felt his own confidence fade. The look in Red's eyes was flat out dangerous and somehow Jason knew he did not want to mess with this character. And that thought angered Jason. He drew in a breath trying once more to intimidate the trainer. This only drew a laugh from Red.

"Don't puff up too much mate, you'll pull something."

With that, Red simply walked away. He knew Jason was too worked up on him now to worry about Nurse Joy. That was the reason he had stepped in. He hated to see anyone placed in those uncomfortable situations and the poor nurse was being pushed hard by this jerk. Red smiled when he heard Jason call after him.

"Wait up jack ass."

There were mothers around the lobby who grabbed their children's ears at hearing the champion use that sort of language. Everyone understood that language happened, but Jason did not even try to hide it. He'd created a mess a few years back when he cussed out a young trainer who had challenged him. Jason had merely laughed in the trainer's face and offered some poor choice words which quickly blew up. The fact was that Jason did not care. The world had decided to hate him so he was going to hate it back.

But Red was something different. The rest of the world hated him, but he could intimidate them into submission. The rest of the world would do what he wanted because he was the world's strongest trainer. Red didn't seem to care and it annoyed Jason to no end.

"What the hell do you think you're doing treating me of all people like that in public, don't you know who I am?"

Seeing they were now alone on the training field, Red decided it was time to fire back.

"All I see is a jack-ass who thinks he is capable of pummeling anyone who disagrees with him into submission."

Jason fired back. "Pity you don't have the guts to take me on."

Red simply stared. There was no anger, no sadness, and most importantly to Jason, no fear. Jason felt his face flush with Anger watching Red across from him. After a tense moment, the dark haired trainer turned his back and simply began to walk away.

"Don't turn you back on me, you son of a bitch!" This caused a ruckus. Before Jason knew it, Red had turned and launched himself into Jason. Jason was a big guy, but the ferocity of Red's attack was too much even for him. He collapsed on the ground with Red on top of him.

"Call me whatever you like, but ever dare to insult my mother, friends, or pokemon and you will regret it." Jason could not even gulp from the pressure of Red on him. For the first time in his own life, he felt fear. It must have shown in his eyes as Red stood up. "As for being scared, just wait and see." Red called back as he strolled away.

Neither saw the young couple which had caught the entire interaction.

Iris and Cilian stood behind a tree. The two had just arrived after much arguing. Iris was still sore over having lost the championship to Jason and was not sure she wanted to come, but Cilian had to. He was the Pokemon Connoisseur tasked with reporting on this tournament and the fact was the no matter how angry she was, Iris would always support Cilian. He had been her biggest fan when she became champion and still supported her after her loss. The two had finally given in and become a couple about a year ago.

And now they stood watching what was happening. They had not caught names, but Iris had read up enough on trainer lore to know who it was that had just handed Jason's ass to him. And it made her laugh. She held it well enough while Jason walked away, but as soon as he was gone, she let out a roaring laugh. This drew a look from Cilian.

"Now what on earth is that, Iris?" Trying to contain herself, Iris offered her answer the best she could.

"Oh, goodness that was good. Oh man. Cilian, do you know who that was beating the shit out of Jason? Out of the 'world's strongest triner'?" She placed the air quotes around Jason's title and Cilian shook his head to say no.

"Cilian, have you ever heard of Red Satoshi?" After a moment's pause, Cilian's eyes widened in realization.

"You're kidding, right?" Iris shook her head no and Cilian jumped up with fire in his eyes. "As a Pokemon Connoisseur, I must see him battle! I wonder if we will ever get to!" At his final words, both stepped from behind the trees. They needed to go settle into their rooms before the tournament started. The first round would be announced later today, so there probably weren't many rooms left.

As they walked into the Pokemon Center, hand in hand, Iris glanced in the direction where Red had gone, considering the thought herself. "I wonder…"

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Red finally found a nice quiet spot. He had collapsed under a tree. Being with Misty, he had not slept well. He wanted to take the crying red-head into his arms and never let her go. He wanted to tell her everything.

But he couldn't. Not yet. It was too dangerous.

That was why he had left the letter. He was going to give her the chance to walk away. If she still wanted to see him tonight, he would give her some of the info.

As he sat, contemplating all of this, Red felt a shadow fall over him. He looked up into the eyes of his mother and Professor Oak. Well, now it was just Samuel. The man had retired, leaving his lab to Gary. Red had managed to pick up on that, looking through news. He still had papers delivered daily from each region during his time on Mt. Silver.

Red sat quietly, waiting to see what their response would be.

"Excuse me, Mr. Satoshi?" Samuel began the questions. His mom merely flinched at the name. Red nodded his approval to continue. "Would you mind walking and talking with us for a while?" Red considered it. Could he handle this? Was he up to this? He wasn't sure yet whether it meant hiding his secret further or letting them discover it, but was he really ready for either one? After a moment's consideration, Red relented and stood.

"Thank you Mr. Satoshi."

"Call me Red."

"Thank you Red." This time it was from his mother. Red smiled at her. "No problem. I could see my last name made you uncomfortable."

The two older adults merely looked at one another before leading the young man to a table. As they sat, his mother offered to start.

"Red, we wanted to explain and apologize for Ms. Waterflower yesterday when you et us, but there are some personal things affecting the situation." There was a lost look in the eyes of both individuals. Red decided he would shock them.

"I know. I went back later to apologize to Ms. Waterflower and she explained everything to me."

"Oh?" Samuel gave him a deep studious look at this. Red smiled, wondering if they would overcome their skepticism and see who he was. Sure enough it was his mother who saw it first.

"Ash?" Her voice was so quiet, Red almost did not hear it. She sounded soft, hopeful and broken all at once. The look in her eyes told Red to be careful. And her words caught the ear of Samuel Oak as well.

"Not here. Please join me in my room and we can discuss this further." The look Red gave over his glasses was deep and meaningful and quickly stopped all questions coming from the two older adults. They merely nodded and rose to follow him.

As they exited the elevator, both were shocked to see they had reached the suite level. Ash, on the other hand, was shocked to see none other than Misty and Gary standing outside his door holding a whispered conversation. He cleared his throat as the three approached. Gary looked up first, catching his grandfather and Ash's mother.

"A-nd Mr. Red is here Misty." Gary nudged the red head. She had yet to turn around. She'd heard his throat clearing, but was too nervous to face him yet. Finally she drew herself up and turned on her heel to fully face him. There was a cocky grin on his face and Misty felt her own face flush.

"Please, if you wanted to talk to me, you could have asked around." Red said in a very smug voice. He quickly stepped between the two and opened the door. After carefully escorting his mother and Samuel Oak into the room, Red turned to Misty and Gary.

"I'm guessing Nurse Joy told you which room was mine?"

They nodded sheepishly before Misty added, "Yeah, but it took some convincing and flirting from Gary." This led the gym leader to blush and Red to let out a laugh.

"Well I told her to let you both know, but apparently she had her own little plan. Wont you please both come in?"

Once everyone was settled, a silence fell over them until Deliah offered her question again.

"Ash?"

The entire room turned to face Red Satoshi. His shoulders slumped before he stood. The young trainer walked into another room first and they heard his pokeballs releasing and then the cries of pokemon.

They watched his team come out to stroll through the large room. As the 6 pokemon filled the room, Gary, Misty, Deliah, and Samuel realized just how large the suite they were in actually was.

First was the metagross. Gary was not chocked by this pokemon, but it threw off the rest of the team. Especially seeing one so large.

Next to arrive was a charizard. This Charizard was larger than the other pokemon of its type as well, but even in just walking the team could see how graceful it was.

After Charizard, arrived Sceptile. Once again this large pokemon shocked them all as it was so large, yet so graceful.

Then arrived the Snorlax. This was a unique snorlax in the fact that while as large as the others, it seemed far more active. To the point it was absurd.

Stealthily out strolled a greeninja, posing just long enough to be seen before disappearing. The ninja frog was brilliant and fast.

Finally there came a Lucario. But this lucario was special. The humans could feel the energy rising off of this Lucario. It was a strength and calm like no other.

And each pokemon matched a story about Red.

And each pokemon was one which Ash was known to have had.

Finally the man in question strolled back out himself, an old ball cap in his hands, the glasses gone. He entered the room and stood before the now trembling humans. Misty and Gary because they knew, Samuel and Deliah because they hoped.

"This was Ash's hat." Red paused looking at it, then he carefully slung it onto his own brow. "Hi mom, professor Oak."


	4. Chapter 4: Family Revealed

The entire room was frozen in shock. Misty and Gary already knew, but seeing the man before them suddenly wearing his hat again…suddenly being Ash…well, it shocked them as well. Delia and Samuel, they looked like they would not recover from the shock.

After a few moments of rather tense silence, Ash was starting to feel uncomfortable. He had sat down on a couch across from the older members of this group, but as the silence drew on, he decided maybe this wasn't the right action. He rose to his feet.

As he turned, he heard a noise behind him and suddenly Ash found himself locked in the embrace of both Delia and Samuel.

"Ash, my little boy. You are alive!" Delia cried into one shoulder.

"Ash, my boy, I…you…well then…" Samuel seemed lost to his own thoughts as he cried on Ash's other shoulder. After a moment, everyone drew back. Ash took that time to really examine the two before him.

Samuel was still as fit as he was when he connected Ash to Pikachu 14 years ago. He no longer wore the lab coat which had so long defined him. Ash did notice, however, that Samuel looked a bit older in the eyes. There were more worry lines and his hair seemed a little whiter. He still had that stern glare and grandfatherly voice. Ash also noticed that he, Ash, now stood a few inches taller than the old man.

Delia was a different story. She had always been a gorgeous woman, and Ash noted that was still true. Her eyes, however, told a different story. Ash was now taller than his mother, who seemed to stay young and trim, but her eyes. The eyes that stared back at him looked like they had aged 20 years, not just the 8 he had been gone. It was then that Ash knew how his disappearance had affected everyone.

"Mom, Professor Oak." He was cut off by Samuel's hand.

"It's just Samuel now, Ash. Gary took over after I retired." Ash started again after a grin and a nod.

"Ok then, Mom, Samuel, it is really great to see you. I love you both dearly and I cannot imagine how hard this time has been on you."

Here Ash caught the tired look from his Mother.

"Ash, honey, I am still incredibly upset. I plan to let you know just how upset at some point. But right now, I just want to enjoy having my son back."

"Fair enough mom, I deserve that. But first I need to tell you my story."

This seemed to catch both Misty and Gary's attention as well since they came closer at this.

"Story, Ashy-boy?" Gary ventured with a grin on his face. Ash looked at the rest of the people around him. He knew he could trust them. And seeing as he had a long way to go in this journey, he would. He looked first over to Misty.

"I promised you answers. Are you ok getting them now rather than later?" This comment drew everyone's eyes to the red-head. As she blushed, she nodded at Ash before addressing the others.

"Ash and I spoke last night." This drew a snort from Gary which Misty returned with her own glare. "We talked for a bit, but then Ash gave me the chance to back away. He offered me answers this evening if I wanted them." Here she paused to address Ash. "I may still take that offer if I have more questions, but for now this should work."

Ash took one more look around the room. There was more than enough space for everyone to sit comfortably. He excused himself for a moment to make sure that his Pokémon were cared for. As he returned, he gestured for everyone to remain in the seats they had found.

"Ok, well you all know everything up until I left Pallet Town, so I guess we should start there." After a round of nods, Ash went on.

 _Flash Back_

 _Ash was on the back of Charizard, crying. They two were flying away when they heard noise behind them. Ash couldn't help it and glanced back over hi shoulder. The sight that met him nearly caused him to turn back._

 _On her knees with tears pouring from her eyes was Misty. The hot-tempered red-head had wormed through even Ash's denseness. Ok, he was not nearly as dense these days as he was made out to be, but he still kept up appearances. Still, Ash knew better and he had planned on sharing his feelings with the gym leader following the tournament. Of course after what had happened; after Ash's actions had led to the death of his best friend, Ash knew he could never burden her with that pain and guilt. As badly as he wanted to turn to her for comfort, continuing what she had already done, he knew it was too much._

 _With that painful thought tearing through his mind, Ash turned his focus back to the flight. He had no idea where he would be going or what would be happening. But he had a few stops to make first. Ash initially stopped at the back of the Oak ranch. He needed to see his Pokémon._

 _As Ash waited, his Pokémon slowly began to arrive, even the numerous touros he had caught. With a sad smile, Ash broke the news. He informed them that Pikachu was dead. The Pokémon seemed in shock. Pikachu had been their best friend. For many, he was the reason they were with Ash. Pikachu had inspired them just as much as Ash had. Of course Ash's next words shocked them even more._

" _It was my fault. I didn't defend him properly and I no longer deserve to be called a Pokémon trainer. As such, I am releasing all of you."_

 _The Pokémon stared in shock. It took a few minutes before they processed what he had said, and by then Ash had run off. Though now free, the Pokémon felt lost. Many began wandering aimlessly, but none dared to leave._

 _As Ash sat near the back of the Oak Ranch, it came as a shock when he was suddenly engulfed in a hug. Turning his head as much as he could, Ash caught the tell-tale sign of a flaming tail, indicating who was hugging him. With a smile, Ash turned so he could return the hug._

" _Thanks Charizard."_

 _Ash the noticed the other Pokémon who were there, each offering their own hug. Snorlax, Riolu, Metang, Sceptile, and Greeninja were all there. Each gave the trainer their approving nods. Then Ash heard a voice in his head._

" _It was not your fault master."_

" _What?" Ash said this out loud. He heard in his head the response._

" _It is Riolu, master, and Pikachu's death is not your fault."_

" _But how do you know?"_

" _Because he loved you as much as we do."_

 _After some more debate and argument, Ash agreed to take this team with him. They would start their journey anew. And so they did. Ash would travel first to the Cave of Origins. He was only there a year as it was closed soon after, but he spent the time training in the tough environment with his new team. They were even granted, by the end, the chance to train with Mewtwo. This proved to be monumental for the Pokémon. All were fully evolved by this point, but it seemed to change them immensely. Snorlax became invigorated, no longer lazing and sleeping all day. All of the Pokémon grew in strength and grace. It was powerful and mesmerizing._

 _Then, just before leaving, they had discovered mega evolution. From his team, Metagross, Charizard, Sceptile, and Lucario could do it. This offered a whole new level of strength and power to the team's dynamic and abilities._

 _As news came of humans trying to close the cave, Mewtwo decided to leave. He suggested the same for Ash and his team, but not before doing something incredible. Mewtwo used his immense psychic powers to create a new identity for Ash, making him Red Satoshi. This would be a new start for all of them, leaving this cave._

 _And so Ash, now Red, had taken to traveling the world once again. This time, however, he was far more determined and direct. Previously he had been training and having fun with friends. This time he merely walked through the gyms, destroying each one._

 _It had been a terrible fight. With his strength, Ash had utterly destroyed each and every gym. The only two to even take out a single Pokémon during the fight happened to be Misty and Gary. This made Ash smile. At least he knew they were the two strongest. Gary had managed at the time to take down 2 of Ash's Pokémon, both Sceptile and Greeninja. Naturally his advantage did not last and by the time Blastoise was released, Metagross destroyed him effortlessly._

 _Misty had been even tougher and Ash was at one point not sure he would win. It had come down to Gyrados and Charizard. Of the Pokémon still with him, Charizard was his oldest friend and had recently become Ash's closest friend. But still, a fire-type against a water-type did not seem as if it would be successful. But Charizard, after mega evolving, proved too tough for Gyrados and had destroyed him._

 _Pause Flashback_

"That was the last time I used Blastoise in a Gym battle!" Gary gasped at this information.

"It was the last time I lost a fight when I used Gyrados." Misty said after a pause. "I thought I had it won, but somehow this charizard pulled everything out and beat me. I was shocked. I remember thinking the charizard and you reminded me of…well, you. But I was still to hurt at the time." Misty followed Gary's statement. Ash looked at her with sorrow in his eyes, unsure of how to continue. He came over and gave Misty a hug which she graciously accepted before continuing with his tale.

 _Resume Flashback_

 _AS he had defeated each gym, Ash, or Red, had moved into the tournaments. He had easily outclassed the other competition and quickly earned the right to challenge the league. The first had been Johoto, which he easily conquered. Jason had not been happy, but Red's next actions had cause Jason to almost forget about it in the intervening years._

 _As soon as Red won the title, after being entered for the Pokémon league's sake, Red resigned his title and left. It shocked Jason. It shocked the other champions as he did it as well. He had each one promise never to mention him and the only proof he had been there would be his record in the system,_

 _After defeating Kanto and the Indigo League, Red had officially become the new Pokémon master under the rules where you had to claim every championship. It was a feat that did not go unnoticed by one Charles Goodshaw. The old man had reached out to Red about becoming more involved in league business, but Red wanted none of it. Instead he requested that Mr. Goodshaw help him get access to live on Mt. Silver. After a great deal of back and forth, the older man relented and helped Red pursue this._

 _Red had gone to the deepest caves in Mt. Silver and that was when the rumors began. No one had known when or where, but soon there were accomplished trainers seeking out the mysterious Red Satoshi. Each who found him were offered a battle, but none could even defeat a single Pokémon. They would fait from the mix of exhaustion, nerves, and sorrow of loss. If not, Red would have Greeninja discreetly knock them unconscious. Then Red would deliver the trainers to the Pokémon center at the foot of Mt. Silver._

 _But it was not the life Red wanted. He wanted to return to being Ash again. He wanted to get back into that role and expectation. But he knew he never could. In his own mind, Ash had become a pariah. Being Ash meant being too weak to save his best friend._

 _This only led to more adventures as Red became involved in foiling various plans for all of the different teams. Team Rocket, Team Flare, and so many more fell at his hands and his Pokémon. None could withstand the onslaught if he got involved._

 _The biggest challenge of all this naturally came when Giovanni had escaped prison and paired up with Lysander. The two were trouble with a capital T. And not only was their plan dangerous, but their abilities made them an even greater challenge to tackle._

 _Red had taken it in stride, however, and mopped the floor with their teams. In their stead, Giovanni and Lysander attempted to take him down, but Red was simply too strong. His Pokémon, after their training and fighting, were too fast, too strong, too smart, simply too much. So Red had quietly slipped in and removed the two heads of various teams, destroying the beast._

 _All of Red's focus turned shortly thereafter to the league. As Red had resigned his championships, they were returned to the various champions. The unfortunate side-effect was that this meant there were more chances for others to win. Red had initially seen this as a benefit, especially once Iris won her title. But when Jason had stepped in and destroyed folks, dominating them in ways Red saw as unfair, it began to ruin Red's mood. He instead turned to focus on what had happened. Seeing Jason there victorious brought up painful memories and Red began to retreat back into himself._

 _It was the fortunate moment when Mewtwo once again entered his life that Red was brought from his remorse. Mewtwo had discovered something very interesting recently._

 _End of flashback_

"That was three months ago. I decided I needed to see Mewtwo's information for myself. I contacted Mr. Goodshaw about entering the tournament and he agreed as long as I made it at least look fair."

This comment drew a laugh from Gary and Samuel, leading Ash to his own smile.

"So I spent that time training everyone to reserve their strength. Sorry Gary, that was barely half of Metagross' strength." Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. This just led Gary to let out a large guffaw.

"I know that Ash. I appreciate you holding back. I'm tough but damn. Seems like living up on Mt. Silver were true. Also seems like the legend of Red Satoshi might have some truth to it as well."

This led to another smile from Ash.

"Well, it was kind of cool knowing everyone feared me."

"So tell me Ash, why come back now?" It was Samuel's voice that broke in next. Immediately the hard look fell over Ash's face once more.

"Sorry Samuel, but I cannot share that just yet. In fact, I am not Ash just yet. Until this tournament ends, I am still Red Satoshi and I will still have certain secrets." Here Ash paused and made eye contact with Misty. "From everyone. And I'm sorry for that. But it is for the best."

As the others started to protest, Misty jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around Ash. She gave him a kiss on the lips which left the rest of the room speechless. There were tears shining in her eyes.

"I trust you."

With that, she turned and sauntered out of the room, leaving behind 4 adults looking entirely bewildered and lost. It only took a moment though before Gary took off after her with a wolf whistle back at Ash. Samuel rose next, shaking his head. He offered Ash his hand before pulling the young man into a desperate hug.

"Welcome back my boy." With that, he too left the room to follow the youngsters.

With just Delia and Ash remaining, the tension was thick. It was in that moment that everything was broken. Delia rose peacefully and moved over to stand before Ash. He had stood and was now looking at her, just waiting. His mother carefully reached up her hand.

And She smacked him. Hard. Ash felt his head snap to the side. He liked to think he was pretty strong. Training with Lucario and living on Mt. Silver had toughened him up beyond belief. But that slap could have knocked over a Golem.

Ash looked back into his mother's eyes to see tears forming before she clung to him and let herself breakdown.

"Don't you ever do that to me again young man. Ever."

The two clung to one another, crying and weeping over the lost years.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

"Well, that was…" Misty jumped as the voice sounded behind her. She was fighting tears. The man she loved was back and loved her. But he still needed time and space to finish his healing. This tournament would hopefully give him that. But it didn't make walking away from him for now any easier. Lost in her thoughts, Gary shocked her.

"Yeah." She gently stated back. They stood in silence until they were met a few minutes later by Samuel supporting Delia. The group carefully went to return to their rooms.

As they turned the corner, they came across a young bluenette woman and a taller brunette man standing in the hallway talking.

"Tracey, I don't know. I mean, sure they said there would be a Pokémon master, but really? Him?" The Brunette thought a moment before responding.

"Face the facts Dawn, what other Pokémon masters do you know?" This thought seemed to silence Dawn who looked lost in her own thoughts. The rest of the group slowly approached, snapping the hallways two occupants out of their distraction. As Dawn opened her mouth to speak, Gary interrupted.

"Red." This caught Dawn off guard.

"Red?"

"Red." Gary looked back and forth at the confused faces before sighing and answering. "You were wondering who the Pokémon master in the tournament is, right? It is him, the living legend himself, Red Satoshi." Seeing the looks of shock register on their faces, Gary smiled as he moved past them to lead Misty, Delia, and Samuel to their rooms. As the doors closed behind them, Dawn looked back at Tracey.

"Red, huh? Didn't know he was a Pokémon master."

"Yeah, but it makes sense, doesn't it? I mean if he really does exist, he would have to be at least as strong as any of the champions, if not stronger."

The two sat in silence a moment, letting the thoughts wash over them.


	5. Chapter 5: Drawing Round One

Red sat in silence for a few moments after everyone left. After spending so long with just his Pokémon, being around people was new. For the past three years, it had just been Red and the team for quite some time and it felt strange for that to change. Not bad. Still, it was odd and he needed some time to process it.

As he collapsed on the bed, Red felt a presence nearing him. He peeked out from the cap which had slid down over his eyes to see two of his team staring at him. One was the large orangeish red dragon. Although the two had started off in a difficult way, since recent events, Charizard had become Ash's closest friend. The two had been to hell and back. Charizard had adored Pikachu more than any of the other Pokémon, the two being fast, if at times difficult, friends. The loss of the yellow mouse Pokémon had tried to drive Ash insane and it was only through constant struggles with Charizard, also on the brink of sanity, they the two pushed themselves through it.

The only Pokémon to come even close to the bond between Red and Charizard happened to be the other Pokémon standing by, Lucario. Lucario, through aura, was able to speak to Ash and in turn had facilitated many heated debates, discussions, and arguments among the team. The only two he had no really need to interpret for was Charizard.

The fact was that Ash's team was a family. They all loved and cared for one another. Ash was their best friend and none of them could or would ever turn their backs on him. Ash had cared for each and every one when no one else would. Between the raven haired trainer, or rather master, and his small yellow friend, each Pokémon, once feeling unloved and uncared for, had come to know of friendship and love like no one ever knew. They all had Ash to thank for that.

And they all had one small yellow electric mouse to thank for Ash.

That was why they were all here. It was why each and every one of them had trained harder and in harsher conditions than anyone would imagine possible for Pokémon, to get through this tournament and find peace.

They had conquered the world as Red Satoshi's Pokémon.

Now they wanted to be Ash's friends again.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Just before the first round was announced, a group of friends gathered in the lobby of the Pokémon center. Everyone seemed to be there, but this group of friends had met regularly. A tall spiky haired man was leading the discussion.

"But the rumor says there is a Pokémon master. Who else fits that title?" It was the blunette who responded.

"According to Gary Oak, it is Red Satoshi." This threw much of the group into shock, even though several had seen and heard of the man.

"He really is strong enough." It was the youngest member of their team, Max who spoke next from behind his glasses. His sister came from beside Brock to place her hand on the young man's shoulders, which were slumped in defeat.

"He is, but even if he is the master, it doesn't stop us from hoping."

"No, it really shouldn't." This from the honey blonde, Serena.

"But even if it were him, would he ever forgive us?" It was Iris who spoke these words, her voice cracking near the end. Cilian wrapped his arm around her as he let the silence gather around them. It was his voice which rang out next as he spoke their thought.

"Should he?"

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Gary stood with Misty on the other side of the lobby. They were waiting near the elevator for Delia and Samuel. Having seen the gathering group, the two decided to hold back a moment to see how things would develop. Here Misty let out a sad sigh. Her actions led Gary to cast a sideways glance at the red-headed woman.

"So what are you thinking Misty?" She peeked over at him, as if evaluating one of her best friends, before diving in.

"Honestly? I'm lost. A part of me still hates him for leaving, for being gone, for disappearing. That said, I can't really blame him…I…" She stopped her, tears starting to try and fight their way through. Gary reached out a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You love him." It was a statement from the younger Oak. He said it just before they were seen by the other group of individuals who began forcing their way through the crowd to get to them. The energetic Max was the first to arrive. He gave Misty a gentle hug and shook Gary's hand.

"So How was it?" Gary shot him a confused look, so Max continued. "I heard you had a fight with the legend himself. That he is actually here?" The rest of the group arrived as this statement was said. They all seemed to look at Gary expectantly. Gary offered a sad look. He had seen Ash…or Red, coming up and decided he was going to play this one up.

"Well, he was beyond tough. The legends? They really don't do that man justice. That was the first time I've had Blastoise bested so easily in a fight in…well, years." Red popped into the circle at this point.

"Who you talking about Gary?" This seemed to surprise everyone. They turned to look at the new stranger. The women and the men all took a moment to appreciate the fine specimen before them. He had a jacket thrown casually over his shoulder while they could see the defined muscles rippling beneath his chest, his abs, and even along his arms. The crooked grin he took nearly made Misty laugh, but she managed to hold it in.

All in all, Misty appreciated his look. She loved the hair, the shirt, and even the glasses he had casually drawn over his eyes to hide them. After a few seconds of shock at the newcomer, it was Tracey who spoke next.

"Someone Gary had a fight with. Gary is really strong. One of, if not the strongest gym leader in Kanto, possibly the world. Well this guy walks in and takes out Gary's strongest Pokémon like it was nothing." Here Tracey paused to look at Brock who nodded to confirm this was how things went down. The newcomer turned to look over at Gary, a smirk crossing his face. After years of knowing Ash, Gary braced himself, knowing the teasing was coming. He also knew he deserved it after years of giving Ash a hard time.

"Dang Gary, you let someone knock out Blastoise? That doesn't seem like a very smart move." At this point, a few of the friends moved forward to defend Gary. It was Dawn who spoke next.

"Hold on now, don't take that tone. I don't know who you are, but it seems rude to treat Gary like that."

"Yeah, besides, this guy was really strong, so it isn't like Gary let it happen…" May paused to look over at Gary. "Right?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response, Ms. Maple." Gary growled with an indignant tone at the comment. This drew a laugh from the crowd before they turned back to the easy going man.

"Exactly, so please be nice to our friend, he did everything he could."

Suddenly Red's eyes became hard, as did the look on his face. Misty felt herself quake in Ash's new presence. She suddenly understood how he had not only become a master, but also destroyed the various evil teams. More than that, his survival on Mt. Silver now made sense. Apparently his reaction also registered with everyone else. Even Gary, the ever easy going member of this crowd, seemed shaken.

"I see, so you all always support your friends for doing everything they could?"

Every single face looked down. It was only Misty and Gary who did not, but even Gary felt himself falter. Misty on the other hand stared determinedly back into Red's eyes. After a moment of tense silence, the setting was broken as Samuel walked up with Delia. Sensing the tension, Samuel spoke.

"Welcome everyone! Are you excited for this year's tournament?" The tension shattered with that as Brock, Max, Dawn, Cilian, Serena, May, Tracey, Gary, and Misty all turned to face the two new members of their crowd, all gossiping happily about the crowd.

It was Iris that remained with her face on the ground, not turning to join the conversation. After a moment, she dropped onto a nearby bench. She felt her eyes watering and then noted someone else sitting beside her. She could see the shoes and knew it was the newcomer.

"You were right, you know. We didn't always support our friend. And it cost us one friend. One I desperately wish I could see again and tell him how sorry I am." Iris paused as she felt her voice thickening and catching in her throat. She felt the stranger place his hand on her shoulder.

"You know, maybe just saying that out loud is a good thing."

Iris paused and gave the man beside her a sidelong glance. He was certainly attractive. He'd been intimidating a moment ago, but now here he was comforting the young lady. His presence made her feel better. Safer. A way she had not felt since….

"Ash."

"Hmmm?" The stranger responded to her words.

"My friends name. It was Ash. He was such a good guy with such a big heart. He was my best friend and I never would have become all I am if not for him. But I was always so rude. I called him a kid. I kept putting him down. And then, when it happened…" Here Iris broke down in tears. The full sobs were softly rocking her body. In this moment everyone else seemed distracted from their discussion. They turned to the ex-champion as Cilian made his way over.

"What's wrong Iris?"

In that moment, the stranger wrapped his arms around her. She felt his warm embrace before he whispered in her ear.

"Do not worry Iris, I'm sure he still cares for you."

After tightening the hug for a moment, the stranger stood and began to walk away, separating himself as Iris' friends closed in. He paused when he heard her call.

"What's your name?"

Red smiled back over his shoulder. Without even breaking step, he cast a crooked smile back at them and called.

"Red Satoshi. Nice to meet you all!"

The group simply stared at the stranger wandering off before they turned their attention back to Gary. He offered them a sheepish smile.

"Oh, didn't I mention I met Red?"

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Jason felt the anger burning in him. He'd been embarrassed by Red Satoshi too many times. He'd finally come around to recall the name after verifying it with the hall of records.

It had shaken the man from his plans for the tournament initially when he thought that Ash might be back. After his beat down by Red, he knew he needed more. He was becoming truly angered by this man's presence.

Still, he knew patience and cunning were best for initiating his plan. He needed to get things lined up first.

And for the time being, that would have to wait until after the first round draw.

Facing up to the smiling crowd, the champion cans Indigo rose to the platform along with the elite four from each region and Lance. They paused only for a moment before Mr. Goodshaw indicated them to wait. Then the old man began his words. Jason drowned him out for a moment, completely ignoring the old man.

"Such a waste, letting him run something like this. I should really be in charge. I am the best after all."

Then Mr. Goodshaw spoke words which caught Jason's attention.

"And now that you have seen all of our usual contenders, I would like to introduce our guest contender. As you all know, this tournament includes every regions Elite Four and Champion, all vying for title of the best. That said, with one man currently holding most of the titles-" There was a pause as Jason raised his hand. He received an appreciative response, but it was apparent that very few people actually enjoyed Jason. Mr. Goodshaw continued. "We are looking for more members. As you know, anyone noted as a Pokémon master is always welcome to join us in this tournament and we have been graced this year by just such an event."

Mr. Goodshaw paused once more. He was in his element now, playing the crowd like a fiddle. He took some time to let his words sink in and cut them off just before the murmuring turned into full blown shouting.

"You may be wondering just who I am referring to. Many of you remember the unfortunate events surrounding our last Pokémon master. However please do not let that deter you. There was another true Pokémon master and he has joined us today!"

Here Red rose and stalked onto the platform. While most of the members on the stage could feel his presence, they also noted it was directed at one member of their party in particular: Champion Jason.

"About 7 years ago, one man was given the chance to join the Indigo league. He ran through it and went mostly unchallenged. There were some spectacular fights. I believe our own Cerulean and Viridian gym leaders gave him quite a fright."

There was some cheering here as Gary raised his hand in acknowledgement and Misty blushed. Mr. Goodshaw continued.

"But he rose victorious none the less. From there he went on to destroy every other league, from Johoto right through Kalos. He even managed to claim the title to our newest region, Alola. When he finally claimed the Sinnoh title two years later, this young man had claimed every title available. He did this entirely unnoticed by every other competitor here. Then he did something remarkable.

"Having not suffered a single defeat, this young man retired from Pokémon competitive battling. He resigned and spent time fighting for justice before facing a full retirement on Mt. Silver.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce Pokémon Master Red Satoshi!"

The crowd had already begun their odd mix of cheering and stammering as soon as the note about Mt. Silver was mentioned. No one was quite sure how to handle this. The stunned looks from the rest of the Elite Four and Champions present said everything about how awed they were by the actual existence of Red Satoshi.

The lone exception was Jason who glared at the man with pure hatred. Red waved a time or two at the crowd before turning his glare back to Jason. The two were truly at odds. Then the draw began!

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Red returned to his room, truly worn down. He hated having to take on such an intimidating manner. It took so much out of him to be so angry. So many years of hating himself had led him here and he wasn't sure what he had left.

But it had to be done. Jason needed to know his place. That was why Red was here after all. To face Jason. He might have to go through a few people along the way. Such as Lance, his very first opponent. Lance had been a truly tough competitor the last time they had fought. Lance still stood as the champion of the Indigo league, for the time being, and he was truly a dragon master. That said, Jason seemed to be his kryptonite. After losing to Ask in that fateful tournament, Lance had lost in the Semi-finals and finals to Jason in the following two tournaments.

Red smiled to himself. For the first time since becoming Champion, Lance would not make it past the first round of this tournament. It was going to be a history making kind of day.

Red shook himself from his reverie. He still had one more thing to do. Letting all of his Pokémon out except for Charizard, tucked safely away on his belt, Red struck for the room of a certain red-head who he desperately wanted back in his arms.

It was a few floors down where Red stood nervously at the door. He was trying to work up the courage to reach out and try the handle. He had told her in his note that the decision was hers. Everything seemed to scream that she would be there. But his nerve was still trying him.

After several moments of tense debate, Red reached up and grasped the knob. He turned.

And it didn't move. It was locked.


	6. Chapter 6: The Locked Door

Red turned and ran, utterly shocked. He'd tried the door twice to no avail. There wasn't even a sound from inside. The lights were off as best as he could tell. From the looks of things, Misty hadn't even waited up for his visit. After the moments, after saying she trusted him, it hurt. She was still locking him out.

But Red knew he deserved it.

With a heavy heart, Red began to stumble his way outside. He needed to let off some steam. A bit of stress relief with Charizard would do him wonders.

With that thought in mind, Red made his way downstairs. He passed through the lobby, almost in a catatonic state. He didn't notice the wave from Nurse Joy, the muttered comments from various spectators. None of it mattered. Red was too busy letting his heart break over one particular red-head.

Unfortunately, he also missed the shadowy figure following him.

Red finally reached a nice secluded spot in the shade of the woods. As he did, he let himself do something painful. He began to cry.

Red let out all the tears and frustration which had been building up for weeks. Months? No, if he was being honest with himself, these tears had been building up since he sat on Charizard's back and watched her cry as he left.

In his sorrow, Red did not notice the figure sneak up behind him, lift a branch, and bring it crashing down on the back of his skull.

The figure grinned to itself as Red's body slumped over. It reached out a hand and snatched the lone pokeball attached to it before stealing away, silently into the night.

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Misty sat in the silence of her room. She was trying to take everything in. It had been a long and difficult day, but one she was glad to have been there for. Knowing she had her raven-haired trainer back made the day worth it.

And she would be seeing him soon!

A glance over at the clock on her nightstand told her it was far later than she anticipated. Had Ash decided not to come? Had something happened to change his mind?

With these thoughts racing through her head, Misty stood and fought the tears as she moved toward the door. Upon reaching the door, Misty grasped the handle in her hand. When the handle did not turn, Misty gasped. She had specifically left the door unlocked just for Ash. As she began to fight with the door, struggling to open it, Misty missed a gentle breeze entering the room. On this breeze was a gas, set on knocking her out.

As Misty began to pass out, she collapsed to the ground and saw a figure enter the room. That was all that registered before she faded to unconsciousness.

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Red woke with a resounding headache. His head was throbbing and ringing. As he carefully sat up, Red took a moment to process what had happened the night before. Things were not adding up. After a moment's reflection, Red grabbed for Charizard's pokeball, stopping only as his fingers came into contact with nothing.

Red felt fear grip at his chest. The one pokemon he had not spent time apart from for nearly 8 years was suddenly not there. Red felt memories trying to relive themselves in his head. With a grunt at the pain, he jumped to his feet and ran for the pokemon center. The moon was still up, suggesting it was still night.

Red entered the lobby of the Poke Center with so much energy that Nurse Joy came running out with a shocked look on her face. The poor young nurse had just been getting ready to go to bed herself when she heard the commotion.

"A—Red, whats wrong?" She called out. Suddenly the rushing man skidded to a stop and sprinted over to the desk.

"Nurse Joy, have you seen Misty?" The bewildered pink-haired nurse shook her head. Red continued. "Have you seen anyone recently coming back with pokeballs?"

Here Nurse Joy gave him a pointed stare before deadpanning. "This is a poke center Mr. Satoshi."

"Sorry, stupid question." Seeing the wild look in his eyes, Nurse Joy reached over and carefully grasped his hand in hers.

"Red, slow down. Take a breath." She modeled and waited for him to do the same before continuing. "Now, what happened?"

Red took a few more breaths before motioning for Nurse Joy to join him on a bench. The two sat down and Red placed his head in his hands. Nurse Joy, silently freaking out because she had never seen anything ruffle this young man, carefully began rubbing his back in soothing circles. After another moment, Red seemed ready to begin.

Red recounted the entire tale, noting going to Misty's room and the locked door. Nurse Joy placed a hard look on her face at this. Nurse Joy had become quite close to Red over the past few weeks while working the details out for this trip and tournament. She knew all of his plans. More than that, she knew of how he felt about Misty. So hearing that Misty had locked him out, well it upset her. Seeing her look, Red decided to jump in.

'I'm not sure she actually did lock the door."

"What do you mean, Red?"

"I mean after it was locked, I ran. I was upset, sad, pissed. I found a quiet spot out in the woods to cry and let things out. I missed something. Someone managed to sneak up and knock me out. They stole Charizard too. It only stands to reason they were the ones who locked me out."

Hearing this, Nurse Joy wrapped her arm around the young trainer. He needed friends right now. He needed friends more than anything, so she desperately hoped he was right and Misty did not actually want to lock him out.

As Nurse Joy hugged him, sitting on that bench, neither saw Gary coming out of the elevator. Red had just finished his tears and was just holding onto Nurse Joy. He knew he needed the support or else he would collapse on himself. All Gary saw was Ash hugging the Nurse he had a particular eye on.

Gary felt his stomach clench. As much as he cared for Nurse Joy, he knew the real reason this was so bad was because of what it would do to Misty. Rather than confronting the pair, Gary turned and went to Misty's room. He found the door unlocked and Misty lying asleep on her bed. He gently woke up the sleeping woman.

As she came out of her grogginess, Misty noticed Gary standing there. There was a very somber look on his face. This shook Misty to full awareness as she sat up.

"What's going on Gary?"

"Did Ash come see you?"

"Well, no, but the door was locked." Gary's eyes opened wide in surprise at this.

"You locked the door?" He saw Misty's eyes beginning to tear up.

"I would never. It was locked by someone else and then, I tried to unlock it and….and…then you were waking me up."

"I see. Well, Misty, I just saw Ash and Nurse Joy downstairs. They were holding one another." Misty looked to be on the verge of tears again. Then, however, she remembered her Misty temper and jumped to her feet. With not a thought, she stormed downstairs in her pajamas.

As Misty exited the elevator, she found Nurse Joy and Ash sitting there, indeed hugging one another. As she stormed up, the rage clear on her face, Nurse Joy saw her. When she did, she jumped out of the hug and ran over to Misty.

And the two met one another with a smack.

"How dare you lock the door."

"How dare you take him away."

The two were shouting at the same time. Gary had immediately jumped between them to attempt to mediate the situation. It did not seem to be working. Ash began to realize himself and put the Red persona back on. He stood up and silently stalked over until he was standing beside the two combatants. Each was glaring daggers at the other.

They stopped their fight and struggle as Red cleared his voice.

"I would like to suggest we do this somewhere move private. Perhaps my suite, ladies?"

"I'm not going anywhere with her." Misty stated with a huff.

"You will, until we can work this out." Misty faltered under his glare and nodded her acceptance. Red then turned back to the now grinning Nurse Joy. "And I would ask that you please not injure the woman I love until we work all of this out." Without waiting for a response, Red moved swiftly toward the open elevator. The look of shock from the other three was evident on their faces as they hurried to follow Red. The door to the elevator shut just before they got there and they were forced to follow in the next one. Misty and Nurse Joy were still glaring at one another.

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Upon entering the open door of the suite, everyone felt the tension. Red could not be seen anywhere, but the line of intimidating pokemon before them suggested they all knew that Ash was not happy with them. Without a word, the three young adults moved to sit quietly on the couches in the center of the room. There were a tense few minutes until Red returned.

"Now then, what was all that about. And before the arguing starts again, Gary, please begin." Red turned to face his oldest friend.

"Well, Ash, I went downstairs to take a quick walk, not being too tired, and happened across you and Nurse Joy in one another's arms. I then went up to get Misty and we came back down stairs. You know the rest." There was still a dark look in Gary's eyes, though he knew not to piss Ash off.

"Alright. Now you, Nurse Joy."

"Well, I happen to know how much you care about Miss Waterflower here. When she locked you out, I knew it was bad. I happened to be holding you while you cried over her, though for the life of me I'm not sure why you should be crying over her." Nurse Joy said all of this while focusing her glare on Misty. There seemed to be a moment of realization in Gary as his own look softened.

"Thank you. And you Misty?'

"I didn't lock you out Ash." Tears were threatening to fall once more. "I wanted to see you. I needed to see you. Then I noticed what time it was and thought maybe you just weren't coming. So I go up to try and see if I could find you, but the door was locked. I swear I did not lock that door. But as I tried to open it, I couldn't….the next thing I remember was Gary waking me up."

The room sat in silence as they all took this in. It was a great deal of information. It was interrupted when there was a knock at the door to Ash's suite. Silently, Red stood and moved. He opened the door and found a note. After reading it, he moved back to the others with a great sigh.

"It seems someone doesn't like me being here."

He dropped the note onto the table for them all to see.

 _Well it would seem you are just a cheating jerk. Pity that little girl won't stand by you anymore. And after tomorrow, neither will that foolish gym leader or the nurse._

 _I think it is time you drop out of this tournament. Fail to do so and let's just say the results for Charizard will not be pretty._

 _You have until the end of your first match._


End file.
